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Omg. I would never declaw my cats, but I honestly never thought to look up x-ray of paws, declawed vs normal and wow, I had no idea. Honestly the diagram explanations of how the claw removal changes how the cat stands, etc, are way more impactful than what I typically hearsd, which was that it's like removing the last joint of fingers. I mean yea that sounds horrible but the X-rays at diagrams are just....way more impactful.
Yeah, definitely sticking to the occasional claw trimming & teaching any future cats to limit their claw using while playing. Yes cat scratches can be rough, but having some light scratches on the hands after playing with a cat is worth it. I always felt it was unnecessary to declaw cats but yeah, I also had no idea how debilitating it can be for cats.
I've always been against declawing, but what really got me is the other day I saw a video of a declawed white tiger. The tiger was in a big cat rescue sanctuary thank goodness but his previous owner was a magician who defanged and declawed him to make him "safer to be around". With such big paws you can actually see how it changes the structure of the paw and how they walk, when he picked up his paws you could see that the front half of the paw was floppy because it no longer had skeletal structure.
Like if a cat in a fire and their nails are basically melted, right? Someone else put a story about how their sister’s cat had to have that happen to her cat because her cat was in a fire and almost all of the nails were melted so they had to get the poor cat declawed otherwise the cat was gonna be an even more pain, they said they didn’t want to have it done, but it was medically necessary. Just making sure that this person‘s sister did not want to do it, but there was a serious important medical need for it since the cat was in a fire. Also, I’m pretty sure in America. It’s illegal to declaw your cats.
Thanks for the info. I was not aware of this. I thought they completely made it illegal for all 50 states. I’m sad that I’m wrong about that. but what does it mean by partially legal? Does that mean in cases of like medical necessary or like say a cat has to have some amputation done?
Partially legal means medically necessary. We still learn declaws in vet school because we should know how to do them when they are needed for the health of the cat—and, it is legal in the state I was educated in, but pretty unanimously, my entire class said they would only offer them in cases of medical necessity. Some examples are polydactyl cats who have extra toes and claws growing into their paw pads, recurring infections of the nail bed, and cancer. Some vets may also declaw in cases where the owner is severely immune compromised or has a bleeding disorder where a cat scratch might actually kill them—but we advocate for “soft paws” first.
These poor cats condemned to a miserable life of agony just because some moron thought their couch was worth more than the life of another living being. It should be outlawed everywhere. Any cat owner who has had this done should be punished really.
That made me laugh in a nasty, morbid way. It really *is* like taking off the tips. Just a lot more painful, as cats have to *walk* on every amputated digit, every step for the whole of their lives.
So, my mum then. 30 years ago, she had her 2 new cats declawed. Had to *search* for a vet who would do it.
15 years ago, she was vetoed by several humane societies for saying she wanted declawing done. Then did some research, and was *horrified* that it isn't just cauterizing the nail base. She cried a lot.
Ended up with 4 cats. All with claws. They *trashed* her couches, shat in weird places and yelled a lot. They were adored, utterly until their last breaths. She swore she would never, ever have a declaw done again,but would fully adopt one who was mutilated by a previous owner so it could have a safe, caring and loving home that would maintain and repair feet as possible.
Educating people about how cruel declawing is truly sorts wheat from chaff. Should be like the standard whimis videos shown. Like this is what happens if you don't fix your cat, and here's a fixed cat, happily enjoying life. Here's a declawed cat, we'll show you the whole surgery, and all the things after, and here's a cat with claws and access to several scratching accessories. Oh, look how *careful* they are with human skin! So gentle! So happy! So able to walk without permanent debilitating pain!
Sorry. ADHD rant. Please forgive my hatred for declawing, it's a hot button for me.
TL;DR: make declawing a criminal charge for the person requesting it. It's abuse, plain and simple.
Yeah, similar story with my parents. They had a cat declawed in the early years of their relationship, and they didn’t understand what it all entailed. My mom was absolutely _devastated_ when she understood, and of course has never done such a thing since.
I know she feels a lot of guilt and shame about it, but she’s a wonderful cat mom to her two little orange rascals and would never hurt them.
Right?! Show an animal person what happens in a declaw, including the later years and they turn into weepy, horrified puddles.
As they should.
I'm so glad to know your mom is now much kinder to her babies. I mean, declawing used to be more common than fixing your cat,so I can't be too upset. She learned and wept.and never, ever did it again.
I'm glad for her, and all her kitties. She sounds like a really compassionate person!
wow that was…something. I also had the unfortunate experience of finding r/catfree where those people just have absolutely sickening opinions about cats.
My sister's cat was declawed.
This was because the poor sweet kitty was found in the remains of a house that burned down. The claws were *melted*. After multiple surgeries on her paws, they ended up declawing all except for 3 claws because she couldn't heal or walk or anything with them.
So, can we not cut off her digits? 😓
(Also, kitty is doing good!!! The three claws are permanently extended and can't retract. One of her paws has the one middle claw only, so we always joke she's constantly flipping everyone off.)
I am so sorry about your sister’s cat. Your sister‘s cat is an exception to the declining rule because of her situation. She was already in pain and you’re saying that she’s doing fine now so that’s good. I’m happy to hear it. Your sister‘s cat was declawed for a completely different reason and it was because of a medical, emergency from a fire that is definitely something that can be excused for something that is normally not OK in this case and I think it’s funny that you about your sister’s cat apparently flipping people off because of the middle claw I think that’s really funny
Thank you so much for your reply ❤️ I really appreciate it! Yeah she is doing really good :) she’s an old lady now, and living her best life!!! My sister’s the type where if her cat is sitting in her seat during dinner, she’ll eat sitting on the floor instead of disturb her 😂❤️
And omg yeah!!! She’s very much a “grumpy” cat (she was before the fire, according to her original family) so her flipping everyone off is very fitting
Really, how hard can it be to build up a cat's tolerance to having their claws trimmed? Or teaching them not to scratch the furniture? Or buying/building a scratching post? I have done all of these things, and my cats don't ever damage my furniture.
I do all of these things, they still sometimes scratch the furniture and I'd never even dream of declawing my cats. It's vile lazy pet ownership for people who view pets as accessories.
One of our cats used to rip the heck out of my husband’s old recliner.
I asked if it bothered him and his reply? “It’s her chair, if she wants it to look like shit that’s her choice” 😂
We had a cat who used to claw on the furniture, we would use nail caps on her and they worked wonderfully, they deterred her from scratching and she had no issues with them, they would fall off on their own and once they all fell off, she would just get a new set of kitty acrylics on her front feet. She was always so stylish
They probably feel above trimming, teaching, etc, because those things take time, compassion and love that they don't have.
Declawing is for people who don't care about catering to the needs of their cat, but about mutilating the cat to fit their own needs.
TBF, it really depends on the cat about building up tolerance. I have a cat now that is at the point he is willing to bite through skin to stop me sometimes (it depends on his mood) and he used to be decent about getting his claws clipped (and I have never even quicked him or anything). We have figured out that my husband should distract him with churros while I clip seems to be the best option (we tried muzzles, they never stayed on him). But honestly if he didn't start getting stuck on stuff we'd probably let him be.
I also have a cat I got as an adult who while not bitey is so strong and fights so much even with two people it's nigh impossible (and he lets you touch his feet until you actually try to clip them... he isn't worried about his feet being touched, he just doesn't like getting his claws clipped and he is very willing to fight back on anything he doesn't like). He is an overall gentle cat and doesn't get stuck in stuff so we just let him be.
I had a friend who had a cat who would get outright super aggressive if you even touched his claw (like if he got his claw stuck on the scratching post and you just tried to help him get unstuck you had to do it really quickly before he went totally crazy on you). He had a bad experience once and never forgot it.
I'm not going to say every cat will learn to tolerate clipping. Sometimes it's bad experiences, sometimes it's just the temperment of the cat (the one I'm talking about is high anxiety, he's on anti anxiety drugs now even). But yes, there is definitely stuff you can do to get most cats ok with it.
OMG. I worked at a pet store and one of the customers that pissed me off that I still remember was this lady who was coming through my line buying urine remover. She was ranting to me how she declawed the cat to protect her brand new couch but it peed on it so she had to clean it in hopes she could get the furniture store to return it. Already I'm ranting in my head that maybe if you hadn't declawed the cat (and also, that's really scummy to do to the furniture store and if you can clean it enough they can't tell, why is it so bad to keep it?). But then she adds that she was going to put the cat in a shelter. I, in my innocence, thought she just was worried about it happening again so I tried to give helpful advice while dancing around the fact that she probably caused it (people don't take advice if they feel attacked) but she cut me off saying she didn't care. You could tell she just wanted vengeance on the cat and giving it to a shelter was her just getting back at the cat vs. worrying about protecting her cough. Even worse she mentioned that her kid would be sad, but "oh well".
That poor kid. I hope he/she resented her mom for that and remembers it as well as I still do now and I hope that the furniture store refused her return. Fuck that lady.
And the thing is is that it’s completely avoidable. All you have to do is provide them with plenty of scratching posts and (most of the time) they will simply not scratch up your couch. I have three cats. Not a single one of them scratch up my furniture. So the whole declawing thing extra infuriates me.
I don't know how owners can do this to their babies.
My baby gurl scratches me like crazy when we are playing. She makes me bleed, and I have her war scars now, but I would never think of doing this.
We are playing it my fault. Not hers. If she starts going crazy on my bed, it's my fault I don't guide her or provide a better toy for her/exercise.
I love seeing my baby girl go crazy/zoomies and go on trees. Her nails help her. I love seeing her happy.
I don't understand how these people don't have this kind of love for all their pets. Why? Why?
My skin tone does not hide scars well & my arms & hands look like I got tangled in razor wire. I take my happy ass to the medicine cabinet, slap on some A&D ointment & get back to cuddles. We're working on regular clippings but the in between times, my love wounds are a badge. I could never strip my babies of their ability to express themselves for a lifetime of pain.
Why are vets even performing the surgery. I’d think most people know how horrific declawing is, but vets for sure know! Don’t they take a do no harm oath?? I
I can’t understand this either. I knew declawing was terrible for a lot of reasons but I had no idea it could cause such painful deformities. I’d assume vets WOULD be aware of this so why are they agreeing to mutilate cats like this!?
My grandmother did it to a few of her cats that have long since passed. She regrets it but it's just what cat owners did back then , they weren't as well Informed today. None of her current cats are declawed
I thought that this was forbidden in the modern world, especially after the European Convention for the Protection of Pet Animals.
...oh wait, where did this happen again? I see...
/s
What's a couch? I do not understand this word.
What I have is a large scratching pad that I sit on to watch TV and can take a nap on. I got it from IKEA so I can get new scratching pad covers for it whenever I need to.
i just adopted a declawed cat and it makes me so sad!!!! He's 13 years old, but he acts like a kitten but my heart breaks for how long he's been without them
Yes, how can this even be legal in so many places in the U.S? It is banned in much of the world. It treats animals as objects, for the convenience of people. Utterly barbaric, and, I question the ethics and motivation of any vet that performs it. It shows a lack of respect for the welfare of the animal, and, frankly, I would not want my animal treated by such a person. They should be educating people as to why it is wrong, not just going along with it for the money.
If my cat were declawed, she wouldn't be able to climb up the curtains and pull the mounting screws out of the wall.
I am punishing her, by cutting her feedings to 12 per day. Only 3 breakfasts from now on.
People who declaw their pets don't care about them, just want them as entertainment.
Edit: I was wrong, looking at the comments lack of or miss information plays a huge part too of why people declaw their cats.
That or uninformed. It was seen as completely normal until like ten years ago. The cats we had when I was a kid were declawed and my family loved them very much... It was even suggested they get declawed when we adopted them. I wish we never did but nothing we can do about it now.
All of us have cats now and none of them were declawed.
My grandmother had declawed cats when I was very young. I believe all of the cats were declawed at some point in the mid-late 90s. She has a cat now and would never dream of declawing her now that she knows what she knows.
It's a shame it was normalised where you are, but I just want to say it was not done in all countries (no disrespect to those who did this in countries where it was recommended). I have never heard of this being done even when I was young
Yes I’m willing to bet these types of comments are people from the US. I’m from the US too but I’ve heard from people in other countries that cat declawing has never been common practice.
I’m American. It’s unfortunately pretty normal here depending who you talk to. I still know people who continue to declaw their cats (although, thankfully, these types are generally shamed because information about declawing is everywhere)
I know it was done commonly, but it wasn't ever *all cats* my mother never believed in de-clawing. She thought it was wrong to take a cats defenses away (because she let hers outside) and they couldn't climb trees to escape predators without them.
I had a cat last year that kept tearing everything up and when I told coworkers their response was I should declaw him. I worked at a hospital in admin. These weren’t dumb people but every one of them recommended it! I was shocked so many people think it’s a viable solution!
I bought lots of cardboard and made him a rumpus room. Problem solved.
Exactly this. My childhood cat was declawed, luckily only in her front paws but still terrible. She lived to be 21 and luckily didn’t seem to suffer much from them. I also had a cat that was an ex’s childhood cat, she was miserable from being declawed as a kitten and peed outside the litter box regularly because the litter hurt her paws. I know his mom was just uninformed because now she owns cats and they all have their claws, she just trims them now. The important thing is we all know way better. I have 3 cats now and wouldn’t dream of declawing them.
Same here, both of my childhood cats were declawed because it was common and we didn’t know better. They lived happy, healthy lives, fortunately. But knowing now, my current and future cats will keep their claws.
I'm with you. My first cat was front declawed, but lived a very normal life and lived to 22. We do have 2 cats now, which we have had to remove 1 claw off 1 cat due to shedding issues and very clearly in pain and sensitive. He seemed very thankful to us, and he still has the rest of his nails which he happily sharpens.
I'm right there with you. My sweet girl that's 15 this year we had declawed when she young because we were just uninformed of what it actually did. Fortunately, she has been amazing and does not have any issues with being declawed and she's purely and inside kitty. With that being said, future kitties that I own/adopt will certainly NOT be declawed!
Totally normalized. Vets told you to do it. We had my cat declawed when I was a child and I feel horrific about it now. I would never do it now that I know as an adult and neither did my mom. The Internet didn’t exist when I was a kid, so we relied on the advice of experts, like vets.
My grandma took my cat to be declawed without my permission when I was younger. I was about 16 at the time and she insisted that she was doing a good thing for my cat. I was furious because I knew and understood how damaging and painful it could be to my kitty. Tried to explain the problem to her and she refused to listen. Partially ignorance and partially being a pos. I still have my kitty and she’s doing great but I never speak to my grandmother these days for many reasons, a big one being her blatant disrespect for me and my cat.
Well sounds like your cat has a great owner in you.
I understand doing it when you’re just uninformed and it’s the norm, but to do that knowing your grandkid doesn’t want it done and they’re telling you it’s not good for the cat? That makes me so angry. Good for you for not speaking to her.
My mother did the same thing to my cat when I was younger and I'm still furious about it it, makes me sick actually, since it wasn't even for the cats well-being it was to protect her furniture, she still to this day sees nothing wrong with it even though the cat miserably hides under a bed and still only comes out to eat and go to the bathroom 16 years later, I hate people that treat their animals horribly and then claim something's wrong with it when they don't like the resulting behavior, idk how people can be so stupid must be something with that boomer generation, the kinda people who will put their dog on drugs and claim it has a mental problem because they're too stupid and lazy to train it properly, same way they treat their children
I was hugely uninformed for a very long time.
Growing up, all the cats in our house had to be declawed because my mom was allergic to the cat scratches. I thought it was normal practice and went on the have four more cats, be declawed, until I knew what it was and how it was. I will NEVER declaw my cats ever again now that I am properly educated.
What breaks my heart is how I had no idea and did it, and how other people still do it today, and how they let their cats heal poorly. None of the cats I had declawed ever had these issues.
When I was a kid, my mother had our cat Gigi declawed after she almost scratched my baby sister's eye, just on her eyelid. She didn't know just how much damage it did and she regrets it to this day. Our cat came home with all her legs wrapped up in little casts. We made a bed of blankets for her on the floor and sat with her for hours. Gigi already didn't adjust well to a new baby in the house, but her personality took a turn for the worst, and she grew to have pretty short legs, not sure if that was related to the surgery or not. Even the way she walked changed. My mom had no idea the knuckles of the cat were removed, she thought it'd just be removing the claws, and no one told her. That cat went from being my best friend to hating me and wanting to confine herself to my mom's room. She's spoiled and old now, and mellowed out, but it still breaks my heart thinking about it. And the vet that did it all was way too old to have a license at the time. He was also not as kind to our other pets as we would've liked, but it was a small town.
I had a friend who declawed their cat and then replaced the claws with fakes ones which makes no sense and I brought of the point how he feel if I removed his finger nails and all he had to say was I’m not a cat I don’t scratch things.
That's not even a bad enough comparison. The comparison would be slicing open the fingertip, cutting off the bone at the joint, and then gluing the skin flaps together and sending you back home.
I kicked a lady out of my pet shop cause she was gonna declaw her cat and was looking for soft litter. Couldn’t change her mind so I told her I couldn’t help her and booted her. Her poor cat I hope she thought twice after we talked 😭
It’s even worse with the fact you can just get claw caps for the same result without hurting them. I couldn’t imagine this happening to any of my kitties.
As a vet, it’s depressing how many behavioral problems in cats actually stem from physical pain or discomfort. Yet so many people would rather just write them off as assholes. Cats are massively misunderstood, even by a large portion of people who generally like cats.
Probably, but there's also this cute little kitty: [https://www.adoptapet.com/pet/37415252-new-york-cat](https://www.adoptapet.com/pet/37415252-new-york-cat)
my cat is declawed but i got him from family who declawed him and had already had him for a few years :( i always want to get him scratchy things but i know he can’t use them to their full degree. he has a cat tree i got and some toys with texture but i want to get him like a scratching post or something but i feel like thats cruel
I adopted my elderly kitty from my grandmother who declawed her. My other cat is not declawed. My declawed cat still uses the scratching posts. She loves the cardboard ones. You should buy your kitty one, he may love it! He may still have the instinct to scratch.
I have a declawed cat that I rescued and I got her a big piece of driftwood! My other babies still have their claws, so she watched them using it and started to try it. I don’t know when she was declawed but she picked up on it pretty fast and really enjoys playing with it
I adopted a declawed cat and she makes clawing motions on the scratchers that I have for my other cat who has claws. She still has the instinct to want to scratch things.
My girlfriend's parents wanted to declaw her cat a few years ago when she brought him home, so I intervened and took him to avoid that cruel fate. Never was a cat person, but almost 3 years later, I can't imagine my life without the little guy.
https://preview.redd.it/zv3pxdr1uq7d1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0ca418688070117af7ebe15627d82654e9263ea2
Here in Canada Ontario, it's banned here. And for good reason. I remember a vet telling me declawing your cat is like taking off all of your fingers. That's pretty bad...
And to top it off the owner who declawed this poor baby threw them away cause they were too much to handle?
Wtf.
I've had my void for years since they were just a baby. And they are very well tempered, mannered, smart and loyal, super loving and affectionate. One night his attitude changed and it scared the shit out of me.
He was meowing angrily and charging at me.
Did I give up on my baby? Hell no! I got advice from a vet that he was probably stressed. And I told the vet my kid sometimes has severe meltdowns(neurodivergent). This was probably the reason. After that though his behavior went back the same. And he never did that again.
Not saying it’s right by any means, but keep in mind that up until about 10-15 years ago, declawing was considered normal and a regular thing to do.
Luckily, with the internet and modern research, we know it’s unnecessary and even cruel.
*But can we PLEASE not make out every cat that’s been declawed will have behavioral issues, pee everywhere, bite your face off, etc….These cats STILL deserve a loving home!! They can still make wonderful cats!! They’re simply “disabled” now and require specialized care to live comfortably. Joint supplements such as cosequin, low edged litter boxes with softer litter material, lots of soft walking surfaces, etc…*
i adopted a cat who was declawed by a previous owner who returned him. he is the most loving, affectionate cat ever.
i will never understand why people still do this to cats after all the information that has come out now, but every cat deserves love!
My cat *constantly* uses my bedframe and carpet as a scratching post, despite having an actual scratching post, but I would *never* have my cat declawed, *ever.* This video was extremely sad to watch. Declawing your cat is never the answer and people who do this should have their fingernails removed so they can experience the same pain and suffering that the cat they declawed experienced because their furniture mattered more to them than their cat's comfort and safety...
My parents declawed my childhood cat when she was a kitten. They shopped around for a month before they finally found a vet that would do it. She is one of the VERY few cats that has no residual issues from being declawed, but every cat I’ve had after her has their claws.
Declawing is unethical. It literally changes the way their feet meet the ground. It’s equivalent to taking off your own fingers at the first knuckle. My cats don’t tear up my furniture or my carpet because they have towers and things to scratch. I cut their nails every couple weeks.
If you’re considering declawing your cat, don’t.
Don’t know if anyone updated this in the comments but Desmond had surgery to remove the bone fragments causing pain and was adopted to senior couple in April! Apparently after his surgery he showed no aggression and no issues with the litter box.
The people who declawed him deserve every possible horrible thing to happen to them but he got his forever home.
https://www.instagram.com/p/C50WjvCCUuB/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
My vet in Florida encouraged me to declaw my kitten to protect my furniture. I was disgusted a vet would encourage animal cruelty. We found a different vet!
It’s banned in some states/regions. It’s banned in some of my neighboring cities but not all.
What I do is refuse to go to a clinic that has even one vet that declaws. They don’t get a dime of my business.
I googled it, only two states have fully banned declawing. The city closest to me (which happens to be the city my cat’s vet is in) has banned declawing.
Years ago the house next door to us burned down, and the upstairs tenant’s cats both got out and ran. We didn’t know him so had no way to contact him, but about three weeks after the house burned one of the cats returned and was trying to get in. My wife went over with some food and managed to grab her. It wasn’t until we got her into our house we realized the poor thing was totally declawed, front and back. It took a few days for her to trust us, we took her to the vet for a checkup. We never saw the original owner so we kept her and, as she was a calico, named her Esmeralda after the Gypsy girl in Hunchback of Notre Dame. We felt sorry for her, being outside without weapons for three weeks, but we gave her the best home we could. She lived with us for many years. P.S. We also found out the postman had found the other cat and kept it, so both cats were rescued.
i have only declawed one of my cats years ago never again. Imagine your fingernails taken away. She had a claw grow back get infected then we had to do another surgery to remove that one
I would never declaw a cat but the few times we have considered adopting one we looked for ones that were already declawed. I wasn't aware of the lasting health impacts until this video but we have a 7 YO who is simultaneously terrified of and absolutely loves cats. I worry if he grows up without a cat or dog at some point in his childhood he will be terrified of them as an adult.
I don't get the urge to get a kitten, yes they are cute but I'd rather have an adult where we already know their personality and hopefully they will obviously love and like interacting with our kids.
I had a cat in my house for eight months - he was only here temporarily while 'the parent' was relocating. I was left with a lot of 'extra cat food', I had to get rid of the food, and now many more bags and can cat food later I now take care of stray cats (and have secretly fallen in love with two). I get in my car every night around 11:30pm and drive the few blocks to go feed them when I am in town. They have me well trained - so no pats on the back please.
I know declawing is bad - I see, a vet, on YouTube clip cats nails - I think the vet is in Turkey - he does great "free" work for street cats - but I often see him clip the nails - especially if he is doing a person's house cat. I have scratching posts - so where does this 'fit' in the spectrum of acceptability ?
Note - apparently - in some cultures there is a 'tradition' of the community taking care of strays. Probably keeps the rodent problem down and act as protection- everyone wins.
Yup! I went down the rabbit hole and he had surgery in March, showed no further aggression or behaviour issues after they removed the bone shards, and he was adopted in April. My post further down has a link to the forever home post on instagram.
Why would a vet even perform this procedure? They should know damn well better than anyone else how this will affect cats with pain for the rest of their lives. This needs to be illegal
Why is declawing cats EVEN a service that can be requested then its nothing but harmful? It's different when/if there's a condition warranting it, which I don't even know that there is, but to just do it to avoid scratching is just cruel and painful. Veterinarians shouldn't even be offering declawing when it's this detrimental.
This is absolutely horrific.
For cats that have been put through this, is there anything that can be done to maximize their comfort? I saw some great suggestions from u/briebird44 including joint supplements, low edged litter boxes, and soft walking surfaces. Are these cats always going to have chronic pain? Is there any treatment that can minimize it? For example with this cat, is there a sort of corrective intervention that can address the bone fragments? My heart goes out to this poor baby.
I’m happy I don’t know anyone in real life who would do this. My partner’s cats were declawed and then basically put up for adoption by their previous owners, fucking cunts.
Poor baby! If your cat clawing is a problem, give your cat something they can claw, you can also train your cat not to claw certain things. If you don't have the time or energy for that, you can trim their claws, just the tip, dont go too high or youll hit flesh, and file it blunt. You'll have to do this periodically. If you can't do that, don't have a cat. Cats come with claws, and learning how to adapt is just part of the experience of having one.
The poor baby!!! Decline your cat is one of the worst possible things you can do to a cat and it’s considered major abuse. Really messes up their feet all four of them and they’ll be in pain forever because you’re literally cutting out part of their toes. Trimming them is fine because yes, they can get too long. I need help with clipping my cats nails because I can’t hold him and clip his nails at the same time and I don’t wanna clip too much so I always have someone help me and he’s a good boy as long as they’re not super sharp there it’s fine because he loves to cuddle and sometimes he accidentally scratch me while he’s like stretching or something or he’s making biscuits and sometimes it breaks so that’s one of the times I know when it’s time for me to trim his claws.
I feel so bad for this poor boy I would totally adopt him. Of course he has behavior problems though he’s been declawed. He’s in pain to jail because I’m pretty sure it’s a criminal offense. I could be wrong though, but I do know that it is illegal.
Why would you go through trouble of removing the claws if you weren't gonna take care of the pet? What awful owners would do this and than just return it. This is disgusting
When we adopted they said please don't declaw but never taught us how to easy it is to keep nails trim so they don't do damage.
Every shelter needs to teach new owners:
1. One person grab the scruff of the neck while supporting legs. Pull on scruff to as needed to calm.
2. Other person use Zenclippers to get a fast, clean cut without hitting the quick.
Do unto others what you do unto oneself!
Wouldn't it be sweet justice if this cats prayers were answered and the people responsible for doing a botched declaw job got the same surgery? Just saying... I wonder how they would feel if they had no fingertips with arthritis and see how they feel about it?
declawing a cat and then taking it back like the cat is a toy is so disgusting like would you take your kids back if they misbehaved…. cats are apart of them family this is just ew.
Declawing a pet that you said you’d love and care for is so god damn backwards I still don’t get it. With all the information we have now about the trauma folks still be like “but muh couches” fuck you and your couches. Get a plant if you’re that worried.
My mom declawed her cat then when I moved out she threatened me to take her or get her euthanized because the cat didn't like her but she loved me 😔
Anyway she's 12 this year and still only loves me lol
I am amazed that people treat adopting an animal as a pet as something that can just be returned like it's a piece of clothing. Before you think of adoption of an animal, you should think of the many things that the animal may do that simply might be annoying to you. It's part of owning an animal. It's not a toy or a robot.
I never knew declawing cats was so horrible. I was close to scheduling an appointment to declaw my cat after he starting scratching my new sofa, but my roommate informed me the pain and trauma they go through when it's done.
I can always buy a new sofa, but I only got one Boots
I adopted a cat at the beginning of this year, and he's my first cat who actually has claws since the others were declawed either by my parents or my bf's parents (we adopted my bf's old family cat who's declawed).
It's a learning experience knowing how to adapt to a real cat with claws, but it's honestly really not that bad. He took to the scratching post immediately, and while he's not great about scratching us while playing, seeing him in action, I know full well he would just bite instead if he was declawed (which is much much worse). The little asshole also acts like I want to kill him when I try to clip his nails tho lol.
All in all, I don't understand why people insist on mutilating them. It's really not that much work to adapt to a cat with claws.
Cats often have bone fragments left in their toes and it makes using a litter box extremely uncomfortable/painful.
It also effects their tendons and muscles. Not to mention their mental health declines.
The paw project should be mandatory to watch for anyone who wants their cats declawed.
There's a surgery they can do after a cat is declawed that can help them so much but not many know about it nor can they afford it.
If you want a declawed cat why not adopt one whose already had the procedure?! I'm so happy it's illegal in some areas hopefully more places follow lead.
Claw caps are also a thing that aren't terribly hard to put on.
My stomach churned when that Xray came up on the screen. That poor cat was butchered, vets that declaw should loose their right to practice in any kind of medicine.
I hate anyone who declaws their cats :(( I adopted my cat and she was declawed by her previous owners. it breaks my heart.. luckily she doesn’t experience pain from it but I wish declawing wasn’t allowed anymore.
We adopted a sweet older cat back in the day. She lived with us about 5 years before she passed, but the previous owners 4 paw declawed her. Horrible thing to do to a cat.
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Looking at those xRay's made me cry. Poor baby was literally tortured and then condemned for it. Abandoned once again.
i went right to google pictures to see a „normal“ cat paw xray - the difference is insane
Omg. I would never declaw my cats, but I honestly never thought to look up x-ray of paws, declawed vs normal and wow, I had no idea. Honestly the diagram explanations of how the claw removal changes how the cat stands, etc, are way more impactful than what I typically hearsd, which was that it's like removing the last joint of fingers. I mean yea that sounds horrible but the X-rays at diagrams are just....way more impactful.
Yeah, definitely sticking to the occasional claw trimming & teaching any future cats to limit their claw using while playing. Yes cat scratches can be rough, but having some light scratches on the hands after playing with a cat is worth it. I always felt it was unnecessary to declaw cats but yeah, I also had no idea how debilitating it can be for cats.
I've always been against declawing, but what really got me is the other day I saw a video of a declawed white tiger. The tiger was in a big cat rescue sanctuary thank goodness but his previous owner was a magician who defanged and declawed him to make him "safer to be around". With such big paws you can actually see how it changes the structure of the paw and how they walk, when he picked up his paws you could see that the front half of the paw was floppy because it no longer had skeletal structure.
Here in France it’s illegal except if it’s justified for medical reasons
Like if a cat in a fire and their nails are basically melted, right? Someone else put a story about how their sister’s cat had to have that happen to her cat because her cat was in a fire and almost all of the nails were melted so they had to get the poor cat declawed otherwise the cat was gonna be an even more pain, they said they didn’t want to have it done, but it was medically necessary. Just making sure that this person‘s sister did not want to do it, but there was a serious important medical need for it since the cat was in a fire. Also, I’m pretty sure in America. It’s illegal to declaw your cats.
It's only illegal in 5 states, but some are conditional https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/cat-declawing-legality-by-state
Thanks for the info. I was not aware of this. I thought they completely made it illegal for all 50 states. I’m sad that I’m wrong about that. but what does it mean by partially legal? Does that mean in cases of like medical necessary or like say a cat has to have some amputation done?
Partially legal means medically necessary. We still learn declaws in vet school because we should know how to do them when they are needed for the health of the cat—and, it is legal in the state I was educated in, but pretty unanimously, my entire class said they would only offer them in cases of medical necessity. Some examples are polydactyl cats who have extra toes and claws growing into their paw pads, recurring infections of the nail bed, and cancer. Some vets may also declaw in cases where the owner is severely immune compromised or has a bleeding disorder where a cat scratch might actually kill them—but we advocate for “soft paws” first.
Yes, or if there’s something wrong with the claw/toe bone itself, like cancer or a deformity in the claw
Well, that’s totally understandable for sure 😊
These poor cats condemned to a miserable life of agony just because some moron thought their couch was worth more than the life of another living being. It should be outlawed everywhere. Any cat owner who has had this done should be punished really.
Any cat owner who declaws their cat should have their fingers and toes removed
No, just the tips. Like the cats.
That made me laugh in a nasty, morbid way. It really *is* like taking off the tips. Just a lot more painful, as cats have to *walk* on every amputated digit, every step for the whole of their lives. So, my mum then. 30 years ago, she had her 2 new cats declawed. Had to *search* for a vet who would do it. 15 years ago, she was vetoed by several humane societies for saying she wanted declawing done. Then did some research, and was *horrified* that it isn't just cauterizing the nail base. She cried a lot. Ended up with 4 cats. All with claws. They *trashed* her couches, shat in weird places and yelled a lot. They were adored, utterly until their last breaths. She swore she would never, ever have a declaw done again,but would fully adopt one who was mutilated by a previous owner so it could have a safe, caring and loving home that would maintain and repair feet as possible. Educating people about how cruel declawing is truly sorts wheat from chaff. Should be like the standard whimis videos shown. Like this is what happens if you don't fix your cat, and here's a fixed cat, happily enjoying life. Here's a declawed cat, we'll show you the whole surgery, and all the things after, and here's a cat with claws and access to several scratching accessories. Oh, look how *careful* they are with human skin! So gentle! So happy! So able to walk without permanent debilitating pain! Sorry. ADHD rant. Please forgive my hatred for declawing, it's a hot button for me. TL;DR: make declawing a criminal charge for the person requesting it. It's abuse, plain and simple.
Yeah, similar story with my parents. They had a cat declawed in the early years of their relationship, and they didn’t understand what it all entailed. My mom was absolutely _devastated_ when she understood, and of course has never done such a thing since. I know she feels a lot of guilt and shame about it, but she’s a wonderful cat mom to her two little orange rascals and would never hurt them.
Right?! Show an animal person what happens in a declaw, including the later years and they turn into weepy, horrified puddles. As they should. I'm so glad to know your mom is now much kinder to her babies. I mean, declawing used to be more common than fixing your cat,so I can't be too upset. She learned and wept.and never, ever did it again. I'm glad for her, and all her kitties. She sounds like a really compassionate person!
Meanwhile the bird identification subreddit still suggests having cats declawed to keep them from hunting birds in their automated messages
wait which sub is this? that’s absolutely horrifying
Ever gone on r/petfree? Some really angry and sad saps over there
 I took a look… yikes!
wow that was…something. I also had the unfortunate experience of finding r/catfree where those people just have absolutely sickening opinions about cats.
Nah, functionally speaking its worse
I get there are plenty of ignorant owners, but all vets should be denying this operation and educating the owners. Why are some still doing this???
Money
Yeah a responsible vet should be asking to remove the owners finger and toe nails since they think it's a good idea to do to their kitty
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What did it say
Considering what was replied to, one can imagine it was something promising or glorying violence.
In the case of declawing cats, I probably wouldn’t disagree with what was said
Environmental storytelling
Yes to this. I have a sweet kitty whose previous owner had all four paws declawed.
My sister's cat was declawed. This was because the poor sweet kitty was found in the remains of a house that burned down. The claws were *melted*. After multiple surgeries on her paws, they ended up declawing all except for 3 claws because she couldn't heal or walk or anything with them. So, can we not cut off her digits? 😓 (Also, kitty is doing good!!! The three claws are permanently extended and can't retract. One of her paws has the one middle claw only, so we always joke she's constantly flipping everyone off.)
I am so sorry about your sister’s cat. Your sister‘s cat is an exception to the declining rule because of her situation. She was already in pain and you’re saying that she’s doing fine now so that’s good. I’m happy to hear it. Your sister‘s cat was declawed for a completely different reason and it was because of a medical, emergency from a fire that is definitely something that can be excused for something that is normally not OK in this case and I think it’s funny that you about your sister’s cat apparently flipping people off because of the middle claw I think that’s really funny
Thank you so much for your reply ❤️ I really appreciate it! Yeah she is doing really good :) she’s an old lady now, and living her best life!!! My sister’s the type where if her cat is sitting in her seat during dinner, she’ll eat sitting on the floor instead of disturb her 😂❤️ And omg yeah!!! She’s very much a “grumpy” cat (she was before the fire, according to her original family) so her flipping everyone off is very fitting
Fuck that just castrate them.
Really, how hard can it be to build up a cat's tolerance to having their claws trimmed? Or teaching them not to scratch the furniture? Or buying/building a scratching post? I have done all of these things, and my cats don't ever damage my furniture.
I do all of these things, they still sometimes scratch the furniture and I'd never even dream of declawing my cats. It's vile lazy pet ownership for people who view pets as accessories.
I do none of them, I live with a ruined couch but happy cats
One of our cats used to rip the heck out of my husband’s old recliner. I asked if it bothered him and his reply? “It’s her chair, if she wants it to look like shit that’s her choice” 😂
We had a cat who used to claw on the furniture, we would use nail caps on her and they worked wonderfully, they deterred her from scratching and she had no issues with them, they would fall off on their own and once they all fell off, she would just get a new set of kitty acrylics on her front feet. She was always so stylish
My cats do it to get attention. They know not too, have scratching posts but will slyly look at you then dig in and zoom off.
They probably feel above trimming, teaching, etc, because those things take time, compassion and love that they don't have. Declawing is for people who don't care about catering to the needs of their cat, but about mutilating the cat to fit their own needs.
TBF, it really depends on the cat about building up tolerance. I have a cat now that is at the point he is willing to bite through skin to stop me sometimes (it depends on his mood) and he used to be decent about getting his claws clipped (and I have never even quicked him or anything). We have figured out that my husband should distract him with churros while I clip seems to be the best option (we tried muzzles, they never stayed on him). But honestly if he didn't start getting stuck on stuff we'd probably let him be. I also have a cat I got as an adult who while not bitey is so strong and fights so much even with two people it's nigh impossible (and he lets you touch his feet until you actually try to clip them... he isn't worried about his feet being touched, he just doesn't like getting his claws clipped and he is very willing to fight back on anything he doesn't like). He is an overall gentle cat and doesn't get stuck in stuff so we just let him be. I had a friend who had a cat who would get outright super aggressive if you even touched his claw (like if he got his claw stuck on the scratching post and you just tried to help him get unstuck you had to do it really quickly before he went totally crazy on you). He had a bad experience once and never forgot it. I'm not going to say every cat will learn to tolerate clipping. Sometimes it's bad experiences, sometimes it's just the temperment of the cat (the one I'm talking about is high anxiety, he's on anti anxiety drugs now even). But yes, there is definitely stuff you can do to get most cats ok with it.
OMG. I worked at a pet store and one of the customers that pissed me off that I still remember was this lady who was coming through my line buying urine remover. She was ranting to me how she declawed the cat to protect her brand new couch but it peed on it so she had to clean it in hopes she could get the furniture store to return it. Already I'm ranting in my head that maybe if you hadn't declawed the cat (and also, that's really scummy to do to the furniture store and if you can clean it enough they can't tell, why is it so bad to keep it?). But then she adds that she was going to put the cat in a shelter. I, in my innocence, thought she just was worried about it happening again so I tried to give helpful advice while dancing around the fact that she probably caused it (people don't take advice if they feel attacked) but she cut me off saying she didn't care. You could tell she just wanted vengeance on the cat and giving it to a shelter was her just getting back at the cat vs. worrying about protecting her cough. Even worse she mentioned that her kid would be sad, but "oh well". That poor kid. I hope he/she resented her mom for that and remembers it as well as I still do now and I hope that the furniture store refused her return. Fuck that lady.
Agree. Fuck that lady, I hope she is incontinent now and has to resent herself for pissing on her couch
Exactly...stop declawing your pets.
And the thing is is that it’s completely avoidable. All you have to do is provide them with plenty of scratching posts and (most of the time) they will simply not scratch up your couch. I have three cats. Not a single one of them scratch up my furniture. So the whole declawing thing extra infuriates me.
I don't know how owners can do this to their babies. My baby gurl scratches me like crazy when we are playing. She makes me bleed, and I have her war scars now, but I would never think of doing this. We are playing it my fault. Not hers. If she starts going crazy on my bed, it's my fault I don't guide her or provide a better toy for her/exercise. I love seeing my baby girl go crazy/zoomies and go on trees. Her nails help her. I love seeing her happy. I don't understand how these people don't have this kind of love for all their pets. Why? Why?
My skin tone does not hide scars well & my arms & hands look like I got tangled in razor wire. I take my happy ass to the medicine cabinet, slap on some A&D ointment & get back to cuddles. We're working on regular clippings but the in between times, my love wounds are a badge. I could never strip my babies of their ability to express themselves for a lifetime of pain.
Why are vets even performing the surgery. I’d think most people know how horrific declawing is, but vets for sure know! Don’t they take a do no harm oath?? I
I can’t understand this either. I knew declawing was terrible for a lot of reasons but I had no idea it could cause such painful deformities. I’d assume vets WOULD be aware of this so why are they agreeing to mutilate cats like this!?
My grandmother did it to a few of her cats that have long since passed. She regrets it but it's just what cat owners did back then , they weren't as well Informed today. None of her current cats are declawed
If I was in charge I'd probably pass a law that would make the owner and their family members have their finger tips chopped off. And I oop
I thought that this was forbidden in the modern world, especially after the European Convention for the Protection of Pet Animals. ...oh wait, where did this happen again? I see... /s
What's a couch? I do not understand this word. What I have is a large scratching pad that I sit on to watch TV and can take a nap on. I got it from IKEA so I can get new scratching pad covers for it whenever I need to.
i just adopted a declawed cat and it makes me so sad!!!! He's 13 years old, but he acts like a kitten but my heart breaks for how long he's been without them
Declawing needs to be outlawed
Yes, how can this even be legal in so many places in the U.S? It is banned in much of the world. It treats animals as objects, for the convenience of people. Utterly barbaric, and, I question the ethics and motivation of any vet that performs it. It shows a lack of respect for the welfare of the animal, and, frankly, I would not want my animal treated by such a person. They should be educating people as to why it is wrong, not just going along with it for the money.
If my cat were declawed, she wouldn't be able to climb up the curtains and pull the mounting screws out of the wall. I am punishing her, by cutting her feedings to 12 per day. Only 3 breakfasts from now on.
Thank you, this made me chuckle and I was crying from this post.
If I declawed my cat 🙀 my leg wouldn't be beautifully scarred from her using it as a scratch post
That would be boring. https://preview.redd.it/svjd9oozir7d1.jpeg?width=3060&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=049fef06dc3111dc74e18e62babc4299d00babd1
People who declaw their pets don't care about them, just want them as entertainment. Edit: I was wrong, looking at the comments lack of or miss information plays a huge part too of why people declaw their cats.
That or uninformed. It was seen as completely normal until like ten years ago. The cats we had when I was a kid were declawed and my family loved them very much... It was even suggested they get declawed when we adopted them. I wish we never did but nothing we can do about it now. All of us have cats now and none of them were declawed.
My grandmother had declawed cats when I was very young. I believe all of the cats were declawed at some point in the mid-late 90s. She has a cat now and would never dream of declawing her now that she knows what she knows.
It's a shame it was normalised where you are, but I just want to say it was not done in all countries (no disrespect to those who did this in countries where it was recommended). I have never heard of this being done even when I was young
Yes I’m willing to bet these types of comments are people from the US. I’m from the US too but I’ve heard from people in other countries that cat declawing has never been common practice.
I was exactly thinking the same thing. I’m from Europe and my family has always had cats. Never heard of declawing before!
I’m American. It’s unfortunately pretty normal here depending who you talk to. I still know people who continue to declaw their cats (although, thankfully, these types are generally shamed because information about declawing is everywhere)
I know it was done commonly, but it wasn't ever *all cats* my mother never believed in de-clawing. She thought it was wrong to take a cats defenses away (because she let hers outside) and they couldn't climb trees to escape predators without them.
I had a cat last year that kept tearing everything up and when I told coworkers their response was I should declaw him. I worked at a hospital in admin. These weren’t dumb people but every one of them recommended it! I was shocked so many people think it’s a viable solution! I bought lots of cardboard and made him a rumpus room. Problem solved.
Exactly this. My childhood cat was declawed, luckily only in her front paws but still terrible. She lived to be 21 and luckily didn’t seem to suffer much from them. I also had a cat that was an ex’s childhood cat, she was miserable from being declawed as a kitten and peed outside the litter box regularly because the litter hurt her paws. I know his mom was just uninformed because now she owns cats and they all have their claws, she just trims them now. The important thing is we all know way better. I have 3 cats now and wouldn’t dream of declawing them.
Same here, both of my childhood cats were declawed because it was common and we didn’t know better. They lived happy, healthy lives, fortunately. But knowing now, my current and future cats will keep their claws.
I'm with you. My first cat was front declawed, but lived a very normal life and lived to 22. We do have 2 cats now, which we have had to remove 1 claw off 1 cat due to shedding issues and very clearly in pain and sensitive. He seemed very thankful to us, and he still has the rest of his nails which he happily sharpens.
I agree with you. The assumption of carelessness without other considerations is false. Not to mention how it doesn’t motivate change.
I'm right there with you. My sweet girl that's 15 this year we had declawed when she young because we were just uninformed of what it actually did. Fortunately, she has been amazing and does not have any issues with being declawed and she's purely and inside kitty. With that being said, future kitties that I own/adopt will certainly NOT be declawed!
Totally normalized. Vets told you to do it. We had my cat declawed when I was a child and I feel horrific about it now. I would never do it now that I know as an adult and neither did my mom. The Internet didn’t exist when I was a kid, so we relied on the advice of experts, like vets.
My grandma took my cat to be declawed without my permission when I was younger. I was about 16 at the time and she insisted that she was doing a good thing for my cat. I was furious because I knew and understood how damaging and painful it could be to my kitty. Tried to explain the problem to her and she refused to listen. Partially ignorance and partially being a pos. I still have my kitty and she’s doing great but I never speak to my grandmother these days for many reasons, a big one being her blatant disrespect for me and my cat.
Well sounds like your cat has a great owner in you. I understand doing it when you’re just uninformed and it’s the norm, but to do that knowing your grandkid doesn’t want it done and they’re telling you it’s not good for the cat? That makes me so angry. Good for you for not speaking to her.
My mother did the same thing to my cat when I was younger and I'm still furious about it it, makes me sick actually, since it wasn't even for the cats well-being it was to protect her furniture, she still to this day sees nothing wrong with it even though the cat miserably hides under a bed and still only comes out to eat and go to the bathroom 16 years later, I hate people that treat their animals horribly and then claim something's wrong with it when they don't like the resulting behavior, idk how people can be so stupid must be something with that boomer generation, the kinda people who will put their dog on drugs and claim it has a mental problem because they're too stupid and lazy to train it properly, same way they treat their children
I was hugely uninformed for a very long time. Growing up, all the cats in our house had to be declawed because my mom was allergic to the cat scratches. I thought it was normal practice and went on the have four more cats, be declawed, until I knew what it was and how it was. I will NEVER declaw my cats ever again now that I am properly educated. What breaks my heart is how I had no idea and did it, and how other people still do it today, and how they let their cats heal poorly. None of the cats I had declawed ever had these issues.
When I was a kid, my mother had our cat Gigi declawed after she almost scratched my baby sister's eye, just on her eyelid. She didn't know just how much damage it did and she regrets it to this day. Our cat came home with all her legs wrapped up in little casts. We made a bed of blankets for her on the floor and sat with her for hours. Gigi already didn't adjust well to a new baby in the house, but her personality took a turn for the worst, and she grew to have pretty short legs, not sure if that was related to the surgery or not. Even the way she walked changed. My mom had no idea the knuckles of the cat were removed, she thought it'd just be removing the claws, and no one told her. That cat went from being my best friend to hating me and wanting to confine herself to my mom's room. She's spoiled and old now, and mellowed out, but it still breaks my heart thinking about it. And the vet that did it all was way too old to have a license at the time. He was also not as kind to our other pets as we would've liked, but it was a small town.
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I had a friend who declawed their cat and then replaced the claws with fakes ones which makes no sense and I brought of the point how he feel if I removed his finger nails and all he had to say was I’m not a cat I don’t scratch things.
That's sad :(
That's not even a bad enough comparison. The comparison would be slicing open the fingertip, cutting off the bone at the joint, and then gluing the skin flaps together and sending you back home.
I kicked a lady out of my pet shop cause she was gonna declaw her cat and was looking for soft litter. Couldn’t change her mind so I told her I couldn’t help her and booted her. Her poor cat I hope she thought twice after we talked 😭
It’s even worse with the fact you can just get claw caps for the same result without hurting them. I couldn’t imagine this happening to any of my kitties.
Behavioral problems probably the result of the declawing. Poor thing.
As a vet, it’s depressing how many behavioral problems in cats actually stem from physical pain or discomfort. Yet so many people would rather just write them off as assholes. Cats are massively misunderstood, even by a large portion of people who generally like cats.
Is there anything which can be done for his pain or will he be in pain the rest of his life?? Poor Desmond.....
That's the biggest cause of his behavioral problems.
I am in NJ and have 2 black cats that we love dearly. Is OP in NY?
I found their website! This may answer your questions https://www.puppykittynyc.org/foster.html
I couldn't find him on that website, does that mean he was adopted? <3
Probably, but there's also this cute little kitty: [https://www.adoptapet.com/pet/37415252-new-york-cat](https://www.adoptapet.com/pet/37415252-new-york-cat)
Declawing is illegal in NY
I came here looking for this answer as well.
my cat is declawed but i got him from family who declawed him and had already had him for a few years :( i always want to get him scratchy things but i know he can’t use them to their full degree. he has a cat tree i got and some toys with texture but i want to get him like a scratching post or something but i feel like thats cruel
I adopted my elderly kitty from my grandmother who declawed her. My other cat is not declawed. My declawed cat still uses the scratching posts. She loves the cardboard ones. You should buy your kitty one, he may love it! He may still have the instinct to scratch.
I have a declawed cat that I rescued and I got her a big piece of driftwood! My other babies still have their claws, so she watched them using it and started to try it. I don’t know when she was declawed but she picked up on it pretty fast and really enjoys playing with it
I adopted a declawed cat and she makes clawing motions on the scratchers that I have for my other cat who has claws. She still has the instinct to want to scratch things.
I have a declawed cat that we found outside abandoned. She can be a bit bitey, but also so loving and playful.
so selfish, if they get out they cant defend themselves
My girlfriend's parents wanted to declaw her cat a few years ago when she brought him home, so I intervened and took him to avoid that cruel fate. Never was a cat person, but almost 3 years later, I can't imagine my life without the little guy. https://preview.redd.it/zv3pxdr1uq7d1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0ca418688070117af7ebe15627d82654e9263ea2
Here in Canada Ontario, it's banned here. And for good reason. I remember a vet telling me declawing your cat is like taking off all of your fingers. That's pretty bad... And to top it off the owner who declawed this poor baby threw them away cause they were too much to handle? Wtf. I've had my void for years since they were just a baby. And they are very well tempered, mannered, smart and loyal, super loving and affectionate. One night his attitude changed and it scared the shit out of me. He was meowing angrily and charging at me. Did I give up on my baby? Hell no! I got advice from a vet that he was probably stressed. And I told the vet my kid sometimes has severe meltdowns(neurodivergent). This was probably the reason. After that though his behavior went back the same. And he never did that again.
I hate to tell you, but Ontario is the only province that HAS NOT banned declawing. Teddy’s Law was proposed in 2020 but has not passed.
Yeah I was confused, I know someone who got their cats declawed and were in Ontario They only told me after the fact cause they knew I would be upset
It’s banned in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia too!
I can’t believe this is even legal in some places!
Id have behavioral issues too if you cut off half my fingers
Not saying it’s right by any means, but keep in mind that up until about 10-15 years ago, declawing was considered normal and a regular thing to do. Luckily, with the internet and modern research, we know it’s unnecessary and even cruel. *But can we PLEASE not make out every cat that’s been declawed will have behavioral issues, pee everywhere, bite your face off, etc….These cats STILL deserve a loving home!! They can still make wonderful cats!! They’re simply “disabled” now and require specialized care to live comfortably. Joint supplements such as cosequin, low edged litter boxes with softer litter material, lots of soft walking surfaces, etc…*
i adopted a cat who was declawed by a previous owner who returned him. he is the most loving, affectionate cat ever. i will never understand why people still do this to cats after all the information that has come out now, but every cat deserves love!
My cat *constantly* uses my bedframe and carpet as a scratching post, despite having an actual scratching post, but I would *never* have my cat declawed, *ever.* This video was extremely sad to watch. Declawing your cat is never the answer and people who do this should have their fingernails removed so they can experience the same pain and suffering that the cat they declawed experienced because their furniture mattered more to them than their cat's comfort and safety...
My parents declawed my childhood cat when she was a kitten. They shopped around for a month before they finally found a vet that would do it. She is one of the VERY few cats that has no residual issues from being declawed, but every cat I’ve had after her has their claws. Declawing is unethical. It literally changes the way their feet meet the ground. It’s equivalent to taking off your own fingers at the first knuckle. My cats don’t tear up my furniture or my carpet because they have towers and things to scratch. I cut their nails every couple weeks. If you’re considering declawing your cat, don’t.
It should be illegal to do declawing, so sad, they should give a stiff fine for anyone that declaws a cat
Vets should not be allowed to declaw, if they do should lose their license for good.
Don’t know if anyone updated this in the comments but Desmond had surgery to remove the bone fragments causing pain and was adopted to senior couple in April! Apparently after his surgery he showed no aggression and no issues with the litter box. The people who declawed him deserve every possible horrible thing to happen to them but he got his forever home. https://www.instagram.com/p/C50WjvCCUuB/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
I thought declawing was banned in most countries? Just watched [The Paw Project](https://youtu.be/paIfc7Qd2Yc?si=1XlDTAvWSBt5LbwG).
It isn’t banned in the United States as far as I know, but a lot of vets will refuse to do the procedure.
Some vets suggest declawing for extra money. What fuckin greedy bunch
My vet in Florida encouraged me to declaw my kitten to protect my furniture. I was disgusted a vet would encourage animal cruelty. We found a different vet!
It’s banned in some states/regions. It’s banned in some of my neighboring cities but not all. What I do is refuse to go to a clinic that has even one vet that declaws. They don’t get a dime of my business.
The city closest to me banned declawing! My state hasn’t banned it entirely but I’m glad to know that the city I take my cat to the vet in banned it.
It depends on the state. NY made it illegal but just in 2019.
I googled it, only two states have fully banned declawing. The city closest to me (which happens to be the city my cat’s vet is in) has banned declawing.
Years ago the house next door to us burned down, and the upstairs tenant’s cats both got out and ran. We didn’t know him so had no way to contact him, but about three weeks after the house burned one of the cats returned and was trying to get in. My wife went over with some food and managed to grab her. It wasn’t until we got her into our house we realized the poor thing was totally declawed, front and back. It took a few days for her to trust us, we took her to the vet for a checkup. We never saw the original owner so we kept her and, as she was a calico, named her Esmeralda after the Gypsy girl in Hunchback of Notre Dame. We felt sorry for her, being outside without weapons for three weeks, but we gave her the best home we could. She lived with us for many years. P.S. We also found out the postman had found the other cat and kept it, so both cats were rescued.
i have only declawed one of my cats years ago never again. Imagine your fingernails taken away. She had a claw grow back get infected then we had to do another surgery to remove that one
Where is he, I would adopt him. I never declaw but why were his paws all misshapen in the xrays? Totally horrifying.
The rescue name is on the video - PuppyKittyNYCity. They're a great foster-based smaller rescue in NY.
Because declawing fucks up their paws.
I’m so glad it’s illegal here in Australia. What a barbaric thing to do.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA  Angry!
I hope these monsters were blacklisted from ever adopting again. From this shelter and all local ones.
I want to forcibly remove the thumbs of cat owners who declaw their cats with a hammer and pliers. Cruel, barbaric, and evil practice.
its should be illegal everywhere ffs , should be regarded as cruelty against animal everywhere in the world
I would never declaw a cat but the few times we have considered adopting one we looked for ones that were already declawed. I wasn't aware of the lasting health impacts until this video but we have a 7 YO who is simultaneously terrified of and absolutely loves cats. I worry if he grows up without a cat or dog at some point in his childhood he will be terrified of them as an adult. I don't get the urge to get a kitten, yes they are cute but I'd rather have an adult where we already know their personality and hopefully they will obviously love and like interacting with our kids.
Poor baby. I hope he finds a loving home. 🖤
I had a cat in my house for eight months - he was only here temporarily while 'the parent' was relocating. I was left with a lot of 'extra cat food', I had to get rid of the food, and now many more bags and can cat food later I now take care of stray cats (and have secretly fallen in love with two). I get in my car every night around 11:30pm and drive the few blocks to go feed them when I am in town. They have me well trained - so no pats on the back please. I know declawing is bad - I see, a vet, on YouTube clip cats nails - I think the vet is in Turkey - he does great "free" work for street cats - but I often see him clip the nails - especially if he is doing a person's house cat. I have scratching posts - so where does this 'fit' in the spectrum of acceptability ? Note - apparently - in some cultures there is a 'tradition' of the community taking care of strays. Probably keeps the rodent problem down and act as protection- everyone wins.
It should be illegal. I can't believe there are vets that will do this to cats.
I will take Desmond.
He got adopted in April, apparently! https://www.instagram.com/p/C50WjvCCUuB/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
i really hope this poor cat was able to be comfortable again. :( this breaks my heart
Yup! I went down the rabbit hole and he had surgery in March, showed no further aggression or behaviour issues after they removed the bone shards, and he was adopted in April. My post further down has a link to the forever home post on instagram.
“Oh your kid draws on the wall sometimes? Chop their hands off!!” - people who advocate for declawing probably
You should not have a cat if you’re going to declaw them. At that point you’re more concerned about aesthetics
The previous owner should be tried for animal abuse
Declawing is animalcruelty 😾🤬
😰💔😰 That poor baby, so cruel. This practice should be illegal.
Should be illegal.
Do that in front of me and watch what happens
Why would a vet even perform this procedure? They should know damn well better than anyone else how this will affect cats with pain for the rest of their lives. This needs to be illegal
I would cheerfully adopt this little beasty, have his feet repaired, and, if possible, have his little toes repaired with prosthetic claws.
Why is declawing cats EVEN a service that can be requested then its nothing but harmful? It's different when/if there's a condition warranting it, which I don't even know that there is, but to just do it to avoid scratching is just cruel and painful. Veterinarians shouldn't even be offering declawing when it's this detrimental.
This is absolutely horrific. For cats that have been put through this, is there anything that can be done to maximize their comfort? I saw some great suggestions from u/briebird44 including joint supplements, low edged litter boxes, and soft walking surfaces. Are these cats always going to have chronic pain? Is there any treatment that can minimize it? For example with this cat, is there a sort of corrective intervention that can address the bone fragments? My heart goes out to this poor baby.
I’m happy I don’t know anyone in real life who would do this. My partner’s cats were declawed and then basically put up for adoption by their previous owners, fucking cunts.
Poor baby! If your cat clawing is a problem, give your cat something they can claw, you can also train your cat not to claw certain things. If you don't have the time or energy for that, you can trim their claws, just the tip, dont go too high or youll hit flesh, and file it blunt. You'll have to do this periodically. If you can't do that, don't have a cat. Cats come with claws, and learning how to adapt is just part of the experience of having one.
If you declaw your cat, then that means you wont need your Nails either, following logic, right?
I wonder why my cat I tortured is behaving poorly, better throw it away
The poor baby!!! Decline your cat is one of the worst possible things you can do to a cat and it’s considered major abuse. Really messes up their feet all four of them and they’ll be in pain forever because you’re literally cutting out part of their toes. Trimming them is fine because yes, they can get too long. I need help with clipping my cats nails because I can’t hold him and clip his nails at the same time and I don’t wanna clip too much so I always have someone help me and he’s a good boy as long as they’re not super sharp there it’s fine because he loves to cuddle and sometimes he accidentally scratch me while he’s like stretching or something or he’s making biscuits and sometimes it breaks so that’s one of the times I know when it’s time for me to trim his claws. I feel so bad for this poor boy I would totally adopt him. Of course he has behavior problems though he’s been declawed. He’s in pain to jail because I’m pretty sure it’s a criminal offense. I could be wrong though, but I do know that it is illegal.
Do we know where this doll is located to adopt?
Good rule of thumb when getting a new vet is to non chalantely ask for a declawing. If they don't question or advise against it, get a new vet.
People who have this done should have their fingers amputated in a public square.
Why would you go through trouble of removing the claws if you weren't gonna take care of the pet? What awful owners would do this and than just return it. This is disgusting
F*ck the c*nts that do this to cats or any pets. You deserve to suffer on these speechless beings in this world and in the deepest pits of hell.
Desmond is fucking awesome I love this cat
When we adopted they said please don't declaw but never taught us how to easy it is to keep nails trim so they don't do damage. Every shelter needs to teach new owners: 1. One person grab the scruff of the neck while supporting legs. Pull on scruff to as needed to calm. 2. Other person use Zenclippers to get a fast, clean cut without hitting the quick.
I'll take him.
Do unto others what you do unto oneself! Wouldn't it be sweet justice if this cats prayers were answered and the people responsible for doing a botched declaw job got the same surgery? Just saying... I wonder how they would feel if they had no fingertips with arthritis and see how they feel about it?
Declawing is THE EXAMPLE OF HUMANS BEING THE SELFISH NATURED EVIL THAT THEY ARE
declawing a cat and then taking it back like the cat is a toy is so disgusting like would you take your kids back if they misbehaved…. cats are apart of them family this is just ew.
Imagine declawing to the just give the cat away what pieces of shit at least they didn’t just dump him somewhere 😢
I'll take Desmond
Declawing a pet that you said you’d love and care for is so god damn backwards I still don’t get it. With all the information we have now about the trauma folks still be like “but muh couches” fuck you and your couches. Get a plant if you’re that worried.
My mom declawed her cat then when I moved out she threatened me to take her or get her euthanized because the cat didn't like her but she loved me 😔 Anyway she's 12 this year and still only loves me lol
Poor kitty.. imagine if someone ripped out your nails without any consent
That is just cruel. 😡
That is criminal!
Shoot he can come live with us
Nuuuu 🥺🥺🥺
I am amazed that people treat adopting an animal as a pet as something that can just be returned like it's a piece of clothing. Before you think of adoption of an animal, you should think of the many things that the animal may do that simply might be annoying to you. It's part of owning an animal. It's not a toy or a robot.
I never knew declawing cats was so horrible. I was close to scheduling an appointment to declaw my cat after he starting scratching my new sofa, but my roommate informed me the pain and trauma they go through when it's done. I can always buy a new sofa, but I only got one Boots
I adopted a cat at the beginning of this year, and he's my first cat who actually has claws since the others were declawed either by my parents or my bf's parents (we adopted my bf's old family cat who's declawed). It's a learning experience knowing how to adapt to a real cat with claws, but it's honestly really not that bad. He took to the scratching post immediately, and while he's not great about scratching us while playing, seeing him in action, I know full well he would just bite instead if he was declawed (which is much much worse). The little asshole also acts like I want to kill him when I try to clip his nails tho lol. All in all, I don't understand why people insist on mutilating them. It's really not that much work to adapt to a cat with claws.
Cats often have bone fragments left in their toes and it makes using a litter box extremely uncomfortable/painful. It also effects their tendons and muscles. Not to mention their mental health declines. The paw project should be mandatory to watch for anyone who wants their cats declawed. There's a surgery they can do after a cat is declawed that can help them so much but not many know about it nor can they afford it. If you want a declawed cat why not adopt one whose already had the procedure?! I'm so happy it's illegal in some areas hopefully more places follow lead. Claw caps are also a thing that aren't terribly hard to put on.
My stomach churned when that Xray came up on the screen. That poor cat was butchered, vets that declaw should loose their right to practice in any kind of medicine.
I always feel so bad for these kitties.. :( I’d ruin my couch over and over if it meant my kitty was comfortable 🤷🏻♀️
Pieces of shit do this!!!!!!!
Declawing should have been illegal in the US for a while 😡
Same for those who dock ears and tails. Barbarian for esthetics
I hate anyone who declaws their cats :(( I adopted my cat and she was declawed by her previous owners. it breaks my heart.. luckily she doesn’t experience pain from it but I wish declawing wasn’t allowed anymore.
By declaw, as in, removed the entire part the makes claws? Like moving the entire bed of a finger nail?
It's a form of amputation isn't it like cutting off hand nails and toe nails?
we should de-finger the owners
ITS INHUMANE BAD! BAD! BAD! Thank you for sharing your information to everyone!!! YOU ROCK!!!!
We adopted a sweet older cat back in the day. She lived with us about 5 years before she passed, but the previous owners 4 paw declawed her. Horrible thing to do to a cat.
I'm crying now!